Enhanced power factor in flexible reduced graphene oxide/nanowires hybrid films for thermoelectrics

Abstract

Highly-flexible thermoelectric hybrid films based on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and tellurium nanowire (Te NW) layered structure are fabricated via vacuum filtration. The electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of the optimized hybrid film can reach 978 S m⁻¹ and 286 μV K⁻¹, respectively, pushing the power factor (PF) value up to 80 μW (m K²)⁻¹ at 40 °C, approximately 80 times larger than the pure Te NW film, possibly due to the combination of the high carrier concentration of RGO and high carrier mobility of Te NWs. Meanwhile, the transport characteristics of hybrid films were revealed by the measurements of electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and Hall effect. This article provides a possible access to high-performance and flexible TE films based on RGO sheets and inorganic semiconductors.